The first weekend in September, crowds gathered to enjoy South Asian art and food at Ganesh Utsav 2025, a yearly festival in celebration of the Lord Ganesh. The festival, hosted by Radio Zindagi, praised the values of Lord Ganesh, including wisdom and new beginnings, while also fostering a sense of community and cultural pride among the Bay Area’s South Asian diaspora.
Radio Zindagi is the largest South Asian focused radio station in the United States. And, they have hosted Ganesh Utsav annually for over a decade. Festivities include dance and music performances, as well as group prayer. Additionally, the event features a variety of vendors selling food, art, clothing and jewelry.
Every year, the festival’s main stage features a unique idol of Ganesha. This year’s idol is Silicon Valley themed, according to Sehba Shah, the director of sales at Radio Zindagi. The idols are imported from India and assembled in the United States. And event organizers keep the idol’s face hidden until the festival starts, Shah added.
This year, the main stage was decorated with brightly colored flowers accompanied by an LED light display. Shah said that decorations in recent years have become more technologically advanced as the festival has grown in popularity.
Shah noted that this technological evolution is just one of many ways that celebrations have developed since Radio Zindagi first started hosting Ganesh Utsav. The event first began as a branding exercise, Shah said. But, it grew into one of the largest South Asian festivals in California, attracting several thousand attendants yearly. And, while Radio Zindagi has utilized other locations around the Bay Area such as this year’s NewPark Mall, they have found that Southland Mall in Hayward works best because its central location offers greater accessibility.
The festival’s influence has spread beyond California, attracting attention from national brands. Simran Gandhi, marketing manager at ADF foods, attended the Ganesh Utsav 2025 to promote Ashoka, a brand of ready-to-eat Indian foods. Gandhi, alongside other brand representatives, set up a booth with samples of Ashoka’s shelf stable and frozen products. This marked the brand’s first promotional event in California, Gandhi said. Ashoka also helped fund the festival as a sponsor. Gandhi said that they came to Ganesh Utsav because “this is our diaspora.”
While enjoying South Asian art, music and dance, attendees could also enjoy the flavors and foods which coincide with this cultural expression. While celebrations are focused on a Hindu deity, the festival is open to members of any religion. Shah said that the festival has been embraced as a celebration of shared culture which reaches beyond religion. Shah added that, although she is not Hindu, she appreciates the celebration of South Asian heritage.
“It’s lovely to bring that culture to the children,” she said. “Kids need that representation.” Especially for immigrant communities, it is impactful for children to understand how their parents and grandparents grew up, Shah said.
